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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link="#0563C1" vlink="#954F72"><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal>i Everybody - Nick Here!<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>I am rested up today, so I thought I would tell you what I did to mom and Granny Pat. I don't know about all you other bassets, but at our house all of us have "collections". Now these <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>collections start innocently enough ... something just catches our big sad basset eyes and we tell mom "I want that. ....pleeeaaaseeee!". Mom, being the softy she really is although she says that she "eats nails and spits rust", always gives in and a "collection is born".<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Abby has a collection of stuffed toys, Morey has a rock collection, Jesse had a feather collection, and Cash has a Mickey Mouse collection. Well, I have started my collection too! I have a pinwheel collection ... and it started very quietly in May when I observed mom and Granny Pat putting up all the "basset stuff" ... you know, like a basset wind sock, a basset welcome sign, a basset flag … at a dog show. Heck, the inside of the trailer is even decorated in basset stuff. Well, I like basset stuff as well as anybody, but I was getting kind of bored with all of it. So ... when I went to mom's work one night with her, I saw these lovely pink flamingo pinwheels. They were very cool! When the wind blows, their wings go round and round. Well, I snuck two of them home and got them into the dog bag. When Granny Pat and mom weren't looking, I got dad to help me hook them up to my x-pen. Boy, were mom and Granny Pat surprised. Mom said they looked "tacky" but Holly and I liked them. Granny Pat said she always wanted some pink flamingos in here yard but wasn't that brave. Some other dogs stopped to look at them and a kid even tried to take one! How rude!<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Then, of course I saw this pretty red and silver pinwheel, and since I AM a Red Bay, I had to have it. Then mom was so happy when my ultrasound and bloodwork came back good, she bought me a MUSICAL pinwheel ... it plays "It's a Small World After All" .... tooo kewl! Next I got a Fourth of July pinwheel. ....it has stars and stripes on it! Last week when Carroll and Shelby saw all of my pinwheels, they made mom take them to Toys'R'Us and they each brought me back a new pinwheel! Carroll got me a pinwheel with Happy Faces on it and Shelby got me a pinwheel with kites on it. Since I like bugs, mom brought me home a new pinwheel today ... it has Lady Bugs on it ... I would have preferred lightening bugs ... they're my favorite. Mom says that I have 7 pinwheels for 7 points. When I get more points, I can get more pinwheels. I am going to a dog show in Cleveland on Friday ...maybe I will win ... I have my eye on a Fish pinwheel and a Hummingbird pinwheel. In fact ... I think I will get a bizillion points so I can have a bizillion pinwheels. Do you think that would qualify for the Guiness Book of World Records?<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Slurps,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Nick<o:p></o:p></p></div></body></html>